Kenneth Culver Johnson is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known as the creator of the V science fiction franchise as well as The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk series, and the TV adaptation of Alien Nation. His creative efforts are almost entirely concentrated in the area of television science fiction.
In 1983, he wrote and directed the original miniseriesV, about an invasion of Earth by reptilian aliens, originally inspired by Sinclair Lewis' anti-fascist novel It Can't Happen Here. The miniseries aired on NBC, and a year later was followed by a sequel, V: The Final Battle, which Johnson briefly worked on before leaving the project due to disagreements with the network. Johnson was subsequently credited as a co-writer of the sequel miniseries under the pseudonym Lillian Weezer, and was not involved at all in the weekly V television series that followed. He directed Short Circuit 2 in 1988. In 1989, he produced the television series Alien Nation based on the 1988 film of the same name.
1990s
He wrote and directed ' in 1993, an Americantelevision movie about the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, that stars Anthony Higgins as Holmes. He wrote and directed five TV movies that served as spin-offs to his Alien Nation series. They were: ', ', ', ', and '. In 1997, he wrote and directed the movie Steel, based on the DC comic book character Steel. It featured basketball player Shaquille O'Neal as John Henry Irons, the character's alter-ego. The film was a financial and critical failure. He directed the 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie', starring Kirsten Storms as the eponymous heroine. The film was based on the book ' written by Marilyn Sadler and Roger Bollen. In 1999 he also directed Don't Look Under the Bed, a Disney Channel Original Movie.
2000s
In 2006, Johnson announced his completion of a four-hour script for a new V mini series called V: The Second Generation. The storyline takes place 20 years after the original 1983 mini-series, ignoring the second mini-series and subsequent weekly television series. However, NBC told Johnson that they were more interested in a remake of the original V mini-series instead, which, if successful, might lead to his proposed sequel. Since then, Johnson adapted his screenplay for V: The Second Generation into a novel. It was published by Tor Books and released on February 5, 2008. However, since his discussions with NBC, Warner Bros have opted to produce a remake of V for the ABC Network, thus ending any prospect of Johnson's sequel being produced for television. In April 2008, Johnson stated his intention to remake the original V mini-series and his new sequel V: The Second Generation into feature films. Johnson claimed to have been in discussions with producers interested in the project. Since this statement, Johnson's potential film production has not been developed further, although talks with potential backers are still ongoing. The Warner Bros. television remake for ABC premiered on November 3, 2009. It was canceled in 2011, after two seasons, due to low ratings.
2010s
In 2017, Johnson published the 430 pages fiction novel The Man of Legends. In February 2018, Kenneth Johnson announced on his official website that V:The Movie would be made with him as Director and Producer along with Desilu Studios Johnson has since updated his website to say that Desilu's option had expired, and referred to new allegations.
Personal life
Johnson married Bonnie Hollaway on February 2, 1963, and they divorced in 1975. They have three children. On June 19, 1977, he married Susan Appling, and they have one child.
